Bramptonians indifferent to those waiting for organs

A beating heart:

Heart Transplant recipient Andrea Clegg seen here in a 2011 photograph.
Ontario witnessed a record-breaking 1,053 lifesaving organ transplants in 2012, but the number of registered donors across the province remained at a dismal 22 per cent.

Brampton sits at the bottom of a list for having fewer number of organ donors.
An Ontario Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN) survey which compared the number of registered organ donors across some 179 communities in the province has placed Brampton in the 172 spot.
According to the report, Brampton has 441,132 registered health card holders, but only 57,539 or 13 per cent of those are organ donors.
Garson, Ont. is in the top spot with 50 per cent registered organ donors.
Other GTA cities that fared dismally in the list include: Mississauga (171), Toronto (170) and Markham (175).
Even though the statistics for organ donation are disappointing, Ontario witnessed a record-breaking 1,053 lifesaving organ transplants in 2012—an increase of 11 per cent over the previous year and included: 385 kidney transplants, 189 liver transplants, 104 lung transplants and 74 heart transplants.
However, lives are still being lost because only 22 per cent of Ontarians have registered their consent to organ and tissue donation, said Ronnie Gavsie, President and CEO of TGLN.
While number of transplants increased, organ registration rate has not moved, Gavsie said.
Last year, 95 people on the transplant wait list died. In the absence of registered consent, 196 families declined to donate their loved ones’ organs. Had their family member been registered, an estimated 370 additional lifesaving transplants could have been performed, TGLN said.
Recent statistics show there are approximately 1,508 people awaiting transplant, 33 of them children under 17.
“With the help of Ontario’s world class transplant programs, hospitals and our government partners, Trillium Gift of Life Network is working hard to build a culture of donation in this province,” Gavsie said in a press release. “These numbers reflect the work that is being done, but also the work left to do. It has never been easier to be a hero. Please take two minutes to register your consent to organ and tissue donation at www.BeADonor.ca. Lives depend on it.”